Science

Hidden crystals inside ancient Canadian rocks are rewriting Earth’s early history. Image credit – Wikimedia In the northernmost part of Canada’s Northwest Territories, an area composed of old rock is recognised by scientists to be among the most significant geological formations in the world. The Acasta Gneiss, which comprises some of the oldest rocks on…

Scientists drilled into seafloor rubble and uncovered a hidden climate clue. Image credit – Gemini In the deep parts of the South Atlantic Ocean, researchers have uncovered a surprising geological feature embedded in fractured and broken volcanic rocks located below the seafloor. Far from looking like common debris, the rocks appear to hide geological sponges…

Oman’s mountains hide one of the strangest geological discoveries on Earth. Image credit – Wikimedia In Oman, geologists get to do something almost impossible anywhere else. They can walk straight across rock formations usually found kilometres below the ocean bed. According to researchers, the area, named the Oman ophiolite, provides the most extensive and well-exposed…

George Eastman grew tired of hauling portable darkrooms on trips. Image credit – Wikimedia Photography in the 1870s was anything but easy. Those wishing to capture images had to carry around heavy cameras, brittle glass plates, various chemical bottles, trays, and even portable darkrooms. The act of taking a photo itself required expertise, patience, and…

For years, the evolution of flight seemed fairly straightforward. Dinosaurs developed feathers, with some learning to glide, and eventually, birds appeared and mastered the skies. Now, a strange fossil from China is making scientists rethink that neat timeline. The feathered dinosaur Anchiornis huxleyi reportedly had four wings, colourful feathers, and a surprisingly messy moulting pattern…

A farmer’s routine task in Milos in 1820 unearthed a remarkable marble torso, later identified as the Venus de Milo. Despite missing limbs, its discovery by French naval officers marked a significant archaeological find. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons Atop a mountainous area of the island of Milos, where winds blow freely, there was once a…

Ancient scrolls found near Herculaneum offer a glimpse into Roman intellectual pursuits. These papyri, carbonized by a volcanic eruption, were once thought unreadable. Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons Consider what it would be like to be a labourer in the mid-eighteenth century, digging through a tight and dank hole in the rock as you break apart…

Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia have introduced NESCOD, a new passive cooling technology. This innovative system addresses the rising global need for cooling solutions without depending on energy-consuming air conditioners. Mechanically, NESCOD leverages the thermodynamic properties of endothermic dissolution to offer an eco-friendly alternative for communities that are…

A buried glacier hidden beneath the Canadian Arctic is giving scientists a rare glimpse into Earth’s distant climatic past. Researchers studying permafrost on Bylot Island in Nunavut discovered ancient glacier ice believed to be at least 770,000 years old, making it one of the oldest known glacier remnants preserved in Arctic permafrost outside Greenland and…

A centuries-old mosaic map has helped archaeologists identify what may be a long-lost Byzantine city hidden beneath the desert landscape near the Dead Sea in Jordan. Researchers believe the settlement is Tharais, a city marked on the famous Madaba Mosaic Map, one of the oldest surviving maps of the Holy Land. The discovery emerged after…